MARK YOUR CALENDAR! The Skeptics Society is pleased to announce another season of our Distinguished Lecture Series at Caltech. All lectures will take place in Baxter Lecture Hall on a Sunday at 2 pm. Events include an author book signing. First up…

Louder Than Words:The New Science of Howthe Mind Makes Meaning

with Dr. Benjamin K. BergenSunday, February 10, 2013 at 2 pm

IN THIS LECTURE, based on his book, U.C. San Diego cognitive psychologist Benjamin K. Bergen draws together research in psychology, linguistics, and neuroscience to offer a new theory of how our minds make meaning. When we hear words and sentences, we engage the parts of our brain that we use for perception and action—repurposing evolutionarily older networks—to create mental simulations. Embodied simulation, as it’s called, is the reason why it takes time to travel over distance, even in our mind’s eye; why it’s possible for us to become better baseball players by imagining a well-executed swing; and why it’s so hard to talk on cell phones while we’re driving on the highway. Rather than merely calling up abstract ideas to understand language, as others previously argued, our brains engage in a creative act to construct rich mental worlds in which we see, hear, and feel.

Hop Springs Eternal

London of the 1830s was terrorized by an astonishing figure—a caped man with long sharp metallic claws who spouted blue fire from his mouth and leaped over rooftops. Surely such a creature could be no more than myth, right? Or was there a mysterious aristocrat playing tricks on the working class? In this week’s episode of MonsterTalk, we talk with historian Mike Dash about the legendary figure known as Spring Heeled Jack.

Get the MonsterTalk Podcast Appfor Apple and Android Devices!

Get the MonsterTalk Podcast App (presented by Skeptic Magazine) and enjoy the science show about monsters on your handheld devices! Available for Android, iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. To get the app for iOS devices, download the free Podcast Box App on iTunes and then search for MonsterTalk within the Podcast Box app to listen to Monstertalk on your iPhone, iPad or iPod. For Android devices, simply install the stand-alone app. MonsterTalk was the 2012 Parsec Award winner for Best “Fact Behind The Fiction” Podcast.

The 15th European Skeptics CongressAugust 23–25, 2013 in Stockholm, Sweden

The Swedish Skeptics Association (Föreningen Vetenskap och Folkbildning) invites science-friendly people worldwide to the 15th European Skeptics Congress, 23–25 August 2013, in Stockholm, Sweden. The conference is one in the series supported by the European Council of Skeptical Organisations. Learn more about the speakers. Visit euroskepticscon.org for more information. Online registration opens March 15, 2013.

Why Is There A Skeptical Movement?

For over twenty years, the Skeptics Society and Skeptic magazine have labored at the forefront of the skeptical movement—constantly experimenting, often pushing the boundaries, but always circling back to the heart of the skeptical tradition.

Scientific skepticism is rare and precious, a thing of beauty and value. We’re proud to specialize in the subtle and difficult work of studying testable paranormal and fringe science claims through the lens of science and critical scholarship, and then telling the public what we have learned. It’s work that matters in the lives of real people, every day—an ancient and noble public service tradition. We’re proud to have your help in carrying that tradition forward.

But when did the tradition of scientific skepticism begin? How did it blossom into a modern movement? What happened before there was a Skeptics Society—before any of us were even born? When top hats or Roman togas were the latest fashions, who spoke then for the victims of paranormal fraud?

This week, we’re pleased to present Daniel Loxton’s challenging and provocative new project, “Why Is There a Skeptical Movement?” (PDF). Almost two years in the writing, these two meticulously-researched chapter-length explorations dig deeply into the roots, founding principles, and purpose of scientific skepticism. Arguing that it is essential for skeptics to “appreciate that we’re caretakers for the work of those who have come before,” Loxton carries forward the discussion about the scope and limits of scientific skepticism that has been raised again in recent days, and which Loxton addressed previously in his 2007 op-ed “Where Do We Go From Here?”

What ought the skeptical movement to become? According to Loxton, the more important question is why it exists in the first place.

The Baloney Detection Kit Sandwich (Infographic)

For a class project, a pair of 11th grade physics students created the infographic shown below, inspired by Michael Shermer’s Baloney Detection Kit: a 16-page booklet designed to hone your critical thinking skills.